Packets



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United States Patent C 3,343,747 PACKETS Desmond Walter Molins, Deptford, London, England,

assignor to Molins Machine Company Limited, Deptford, London, England, a corporation of Great Britain Filed `lan. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 522,961 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Feb. 12, 1965, 6,118/ 65 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-51) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention concerns improvements in packets such as are used for containing cigarettes, or sometimes other small articles.

In recent times cigarettes have been packed in material, usually thin plastic material, which is moisture-proof, and if such a packet is hermetically wrapped, the cigarettes are preserved against material changes in their moisture content for very long periods; longer than any shelf life to be reasonably expected, and in any climate.

Hermetic wrapping generally consists in enclosing the packet in a tightly sealed cover of cellophane (R.T.M.) or similar material and apart from the expense of the quantity of wrapping material used the wrapping machine is an expensive item.

An object of the invention is to avoid this wrapping operation by covering over only those parts of a packet where the materials is divided in such manner as to permit air or moisture to pass in or out. For example, in the popular hinged lid cigarette packets the divisions where the lid meets the body need to be sealed and those packets which have detachable lids require the same sort of protection at the joint between lid and body.

The invention comprises a packet made of moistureproof material, and consisting of parts which are movable relatively to one another for opening and closing the packet, wherein the joins between the said relatively movable parts of the closed packet are sealed by a band of moisture-proof material which extends over said joins and which is secured, as by adhesive, along its margins to surfaces of the packet, the portion of the band between the margins being free of the packet surfaces, said moistureproof band having a pair of tear strips applied to it, in the portion between the secured margins and so that when the tear strips are pulled the material between the outer edges of the tear strip is torn away and the packet is free to be opened.

In most cases the sealing band is long enough to extend round four consecutive sides of the packet, to form a belt or girdle around the packet, for the sake of appearance, although some packets may not require such a long band to perform the sealing function.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a hinged-lid packet, looking towards the front and with the invention applied thereto.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view looking towards the rear of the packet shown in FIGURE l.

Patented Sept. 26, 1967 FIGURE 3 shows the upper portion of a packet having a detachable lid, the view being broken away to show a section.

FIGURE 4 is similar to FIGURE 3 showing a somewhat diferent shape of packet.

Referring to FIGURE 1 which shows a packet of the hinged-lid type, the lid 1 and body 2 are permanently joined to the back of the body but the remainder of the lid is separated from the body so that it can be swung open. The lid and body may be made in one piece or made separately and secured together along the back of the body. Normally, air and moisture will pass in or out of the packet where the lid and body abut. When such a packet is made of plastic material all the corners are rounded for the sake of appearance and to facilitate the manufacturing operation. The lid is permanently attached to the body on the line 3, FIGURE 2, but the lines marked 4 indicate slits in the material.

To hermetically seal the packet a band 5, made of moisture-proof material, such as a plastic material, is fixed round the four sides of the packet, as shown, with a slight overlap at the ends of the band. The band is fixed to at surfaces of the lid and body by being secured along margins 6 of the strip, the method of xing depending on the nature of the materials used. Adhesive, indicated at 7, solvents, and heat are possible methods of xing. Alternatively a band having pressure-sensitive adhesive along its margins may be used. l ust inside the margins along which the band is fixed are a pair of tear strips `8. These are attached during the manufacture of the band in any suitable way and the band is slit at 9 so that the tear strips can easily start the tearing operation on the proper lines. The overlap of the ends of the band and the projecting ends of the tear strips are shown on one narrow side of the packet, which is a convenient position, but they can be anywhere, according to taste. All the band material between the outer edges of the tear strips and indicated by the bracket 10 in FIGURE l is free of the packet surfaces and when the tear strips are pulled all this material comes away, leaving only the narrow margins of the band still attached to the packet. The application of a band requites only a relatively simple machine which is small and can operate at very high speeds.

It will be seen that apart from the question of economy and more eflicient sealing a packet sealed in this manner will present a better appearance than one Wrapped in cellophane (R.T.M.), or like material, as the design of the packet is not obscured by wrapping material with its folds and creases. It will also be seen that due to the disposition of the band the lid is as free to open, once the band has been torn, as in an unsealed packet.

In FIGURE 3 the packet 11 has a neck 12 so that the outer sides of a lid 13 are ilush with the packet sides and the band 5 is applied as before except that the overlap is shown on a broad face of the packet.

FIGURE 4 shows a somewhat similar kind of packet but in this case the packet 14 does not have a neck so that the outer sides of the lid 15 are on different planes from the sides of the packet. However by suitably straining the band during its application to the packet a satisfactory seal can be obtained.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A packet made of moisture-proof material and consisting of parts which are movable relatively to one another for opening and closing the packet, and wherein the joins between the relatively movable part-s are at different portions of the packet surface, located at different distances from one end of the packet, said packet being sealed by a straight band of moisture-proof material which extends over the joins and is secured along its margins to the packet along lines enclosing between them the whole of the area of the packet surface where joins are 1ocated, said band having two tear strips located between and adjacent said secured margins whereby when the tear strips are pulled, substantially the whole lof the band between said secured margins and covering said joins can be removed from the packet to expose the joins.

2. A packet made of moisture-proof material and having a lid portion and a body portion each having front, back and side walls, the back walls being hinged to each other, the lid portion being swingable about the hinge, and wherein the junctions between the side walls of the lid portion and the side walls of the body portion of the closed packet extend along lines obliquely inclined to the edges of said side walls, the packet being sealed by a band of moisture-proof materials which extends over all the junctions between the lid portion and the body portion and is secured along one margin to the lid portion and along the other margin to the body portion so that the band between said secured margins covers all the junctions between the two portions, the band having two tear strips located between and adjacent said secured margins whereby when the tear strips are pulled, substantially the whole of the band covering said junctions can be removed from the packet to expose the junctions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1962 Maulaz 220-53 4/1966 Stolk 220-53 

1. A PACKET MADE OF MOISTURE-PROOF MATERIAL AND CONSISTING OF PARTS WHICH ARE MOVABLE RELATIVELY TO ONE ANOTHER FOR OPENING AND CLOSING THE PACKET, AND WHEREIN THE JOINS BETWEEN THE RELATIVELY MOVABLE PARTS ARE AT DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF THE PACKET SURFACE, LOCATED AT DIFFERENT DISTANCES FROM ONE END OF THE PACKET, SAID PACKET BEING SEALED BY A STRAIGHT BAND OF MOISTURE-PROOF MATERIAL WHICH JEXTENDS OVER THE JOINS AND IS SECURED ALONG ITS MARGINS TO THE PACKET ALONG LINES ENCLOSING BETWEEN THEM THE WHOLE OF THE AREA OF THE PACKET SURFACE WHERE JOINS ARE LOCATED, SAID BAND HAVING TWO TEAR STRIPS LOCATED BETWEEN AND ADJACENT SAID SECURED MARGINS WHEREBY WHEN THE TEAR STRIPS ARE PULLED, SUBSTANTIALLY THE WHOLE OF THE BAND BETWEEN SAID SECURED MARGINS AND COVERING SAID JOINS CAN BE REMOVED FROM THE PACKET TO EXPOSE THE JOINS. 